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Science of War
Underground Mfg and Research - (#11043Rnt) - EDC HQ Deep underground, just a hundred miles from the outskirts of the capital city of Ouagadougou, rests this sprawling labyrinth dedicated to Earth Defense Command. Upon emerging from the GroundBridge terminal, one is confronted with directions to either Manufacturing or R&D. Manufacturing is a huge factory, with gritty assembly lines and fire belching machines that work to build the high tech equipment used by the EDC to fight the Decepticon menace. Everything from power armor to hover tanks to shuttles can be created by this highly adaptable facility. Watching the process from any of the catwalks that run above the city is awe-inspiring. In stark contrast to the industrial center, the R&D facility has clean white walls and laboratories. Both mechanical and biological inventions can be worked on here. Men and women in lab coats can be frequently seen here, chatting to one another about their latest projects. Transformers can also receive medical attention here. The Manufacturing and R&D facilities can be defended by a number of experimental weapons, though being deep underground buys it time to receive reinforcements if needed. As several Autobots of various degrees were invited to attend this gathering, it was decided to use one of the research branches larger demonstration chambers for the night. It also meant they had all the cool holographic displays and other handy tools right there for usage as needed. There's a central area set for the speakers, several of the terminals already glowing faintly, surrounded partially by chairs for the various EDC officers attending, while the larger Autobots are suggested to just pull up a storage crate or whatever else they can find to use, with a few apologies of not having actual chairs of that size. Still a few minutes until the meeting itself starts, so there's plenty of time to gather and maybe socialize a little before then. Use of a large facility was, indeed, a wise choice. Especially when a certain shuttle arrives and taxis in to find a nice spot to claim for himself. Naturally, those savvy to the excellent flight-form and smooth landing would know it is Sky Lynx. Though, those not as familiar might also note the impeccable polish done to the armor and paint, and detail work on the Autobot emblem to make it jump out just that much more... Because, when you're visiting allies, it pays to look sharp. "I thank those who opted to fly for their consideration in keeping the cabin clean and clear of clutter. Naturally, we have arrived, on time, and with a flight that was right up there with my top-ten in smooth delivery and execution. I look forward to assisting you all with your travel needs in the future!" Talia McKinley normally wasn't one for these techie conferences, but some of the topics being brought up were really close to her, so here she was. True to form, she's claimed a chair and turned it around backwards, straddling it like one would a horse and leaning on the back. She's also got her magnetic rifle sitting next to her for whatever reason there may be to bring it with. Orange, black and gold sets foot on a foreign planet once more, courtesy of Sky Lynx's four feet (and two wings). The fembot takes a quick look at the surroundings: Exits. Entrances. Windows. Blind-spots. Seating locations. She's already making a quick case of the join for security purposes. Never hurts to be prepared these days. Shiftlock just sits cross-legged on the floor because hey, why not. She's certainly not offended by a lack of seating, after all she's here for more important reasons than furniture and brownie points. She takes a datapad and stylus out from her thigh compartment, ready to take notes. She wants to learn as much as she wants spirited and challenging intellectual discussion. Yes, this is really Shiftlock. Hush. Aramasu Hikage walks into the conference room pretty sure this will be better than the one he had in New Orleans a few days ago. He is dressed in pristine white civilian clothes which give him a classy/badass look. He smiles and waves to his fellow EDCers and scans the room to try and remember all the Autobot names. He does not know many of them yet but it is a work in progress. Springer follows along behind Sky Lynx, having decided he needed to get out of the base for awhile.. and not do a patrol. He transforms from his copter form to bot as he lands next to Sky Lynx, and stays near by as he tries to figure out how exactly..and where.. this meeting is going to go. Stepping out of Sky Lynx Punch spins on the spot, nods to him, and says, "Even by your impossibly high standards Lynx, that was a flawlessly executed journey. Thank you." Spinning back he looks to find a place to sit. Finding one he sits quietly and tries to keep a serious expression on his face. Ocassionally though a hint of a grin is visible. Cadet Poise, new to the ranks of the EDC and only having seen the field twice so far, sets herself behind most of the EDCers in attendance. The boisterous and zealous cadet awkwardly shifts as she looks around. An occasional glance backwards to where most of the larger Autobots may end up sitting, may belie Poise's curiosity to the Autobot forces, having only seen them in action. She pushes her glasses up, fidgeting with them...and then her hair in vain attempts to keep herself occupied. As is standard for EDC military, she's wearing the customary jumpsuit with red down the side, and her sidearm is secured. She *does* look rather nice in the military get up. Eat your heart out, Rick Hunter. "Were there supposed to be complimentary enerpeanuts?" Chimes the perky voice of Zipline after she hops out of the back of Sky Lynx's shuttle. She lands lightly, tail flicking automatically to control her balance. ",Cause I didn't get any." The orangeish-yellow cheetah bot flashes Sky Lynx a good natured, fangy grin as she trots out towards the meeting area. "Just joshin. Thanks for the ride, big cat." Well, he's part cat. It counts. Zipline makes a beeline for the conference area, and in several expert leaps, makes it to the very top of a stack of storage crate. She sits down on the corner of it closest to the table. "Sooo... We're talking about blowing slag up, right?" "... Not the dinobot," Zipline adds. Sky Lynx chuckles softly. "Right, not the Dinobot," he responds to Zipline, waiting for everyone to exit his passenger bay before transforming into his normal state, settling his massive bulk down on a spot typically reserved for large aircraft while searching out everyone who is present. A few new faces, it seems, amidst the EDC...hmm. He offers a curt nod specifically to Poise. Velum would be here in person, but seeing as walking isn't easy right now she instead opts for a replacement. This would explain the wheeled robot making its way to the meeting area, the skeletalstructure about average human height so the screen serving as the head stays eye level. "Hn, how does this thing turn on.." Velum's voice emits from the robot, the screen remaining blank a moment before flicking on and shower her face. "Oh, ther we go." She's not looking too good, currently sitting upright in her hospital bed. There's some bruising around her nose and cheek, though the swelling has receded to leave a nasty black and blue, and an apparent cut around her hairline is covered with a bandage. "Hope I'm not late, apologies for not attending in person." Aramasu Hikage frowns and is a bit surprised at Velum's state. He has not heard anything about what happened to her. He winks and nods at the robot's camera. A way of saying "I'll stop by later." He is also not very familiar with Poise yet. Does not remember training her. A few familiar Autobot like Moonracer, Springer and Sky Lynx and others not so familiar. Going to be an interesting night. After allowing a few minutes for everyone to settle a brunette women wearing a labcoat over her jumpsuit uniform walks in from the wings and to the central terminal station. She figits for a moment with a few datapads, flicks her braided ponytail off her shoulder and out of the way, and then looks up with a somewhat awkward smile. And by the slightly wide eyes, this is someone that hasn't seen a lot of Transformers up close and personal yet. She does give a concerned look when the robo-sub rolls in. "It is entirely understandable, Lt. Commander." She then ahems softly, standing and folding her hands behind her back. "Autobots, fellow officers, I thank you all for coming tonight. My name is Zarlene Renardson, one of the scientific engineers that works in the facility you find yourselves in right now. While the EDC has been making significant strides in redeveloping our technological stance since what has been dubbed 'The Longest Night', there is no denying that this war against the Decepticons will only be won by our continued alliance. Our soldiers are regularly fighting side by side, and it's crucial that we make sure that synergy remains. Though before we get to the new stuff, I'd like to provide an example." She gives a nod to the side. "If you would be so kind, Corporal." Talia just snorts a bit as she gets up from her chair, picks up her futuristic rifle and strides over to set it on one of the console. When she does so a holographic schematic of the weapon appears overhead from one of the projectors. "The 'Breaker Rifle' is a perfect example of this unified effort. It was designed by your scientist Jetfire and our own Apocryphacius," she even manages to say the Quintesson's name without screwing it up, "Based on a weapon tactic suggested by Corporal McKinley from her time in the Coast Guard service. While not very harmful directly to a Cybertronian, it's magnetic discharge is capable of severely crippling internal hardware regardless." Poise notes Velum's unusual homononculus, her hands meshed together behind her back. There weren't many other Nebulans here, so naturally her focus is gravitated towards the Commander. She takes a breath, steadying herself before approaching the simlacrum. She maintains her level best to be proper and dutiful as she steps before the video screen. The cadet offers a salute, her tone as always, high-pitched and clipped. "Lieutenant Commander, I've heard of your actions of late, and I would liketocommendyouonwhatyou'vedoneforus." Her words start to run together as she squeaks, "AndIjustwanttosay..." Poise scratches her arm as she looks away, "thatyou'reaninspirationanditlookslikethingsarestartingsoIwishyouwellfornow." With that she slips back off to the side before Velum can respond. Sky Lynx blinks and suddenly finds himself looking for Blurr... Wait, no. The voice is all wrong. He looks at Poise, a bit bewildered that another race has the same issue with someone talking in run-on sentences... Though, his attention then goes to Velum, and he offers a nod. "Agreed. Velum always performs admirably, and is truly someone to draw inspiration from." His focus then shifts to the 'Breaker Rifle' as Talia starts to present things proper, studying and looking over his own roster for potential applications... Hmm. Wonder how well something like that would fit with his overall appearance. Velum smirks to Hikage and returns his nod. It'd be nice to have company, she'll admit. It's so boring laying around in a hospital bed all day. But before she can turn her focus back to the others, Poise steps up before her, the screenhead swiveling around to face her. Heh, guess she's not the only Nebulan around anymore. Velum salutes in return, but doesn't get a chance to speak when Poise rambles off in admiration, making her blink in surprise. "Uh.. Thank you?" She didn't catch all of that, but looks appreciative when glancing in the other Neb's direction and smirking a bit. New recruits were amusing. "Appreciate the praise, Sky Lynx, but I just do my job like everyone else." She nods when turning back and overlooks the gun's holo-display. "So what are you suggesting? More technology collaboration?" She raises a brow at the scientist. Shift takes notes on what she's seeing, but internally, she doesn't like the notion of weapons development. It's a necessary evil, but as she's said aloud before, a necessary evil is still evil. It's not as bad as some weapons, however, and she can see its usefulness beyond just its design. She thinks of her own slug throwers, and wonders what she could do to make them better. At first, Zipline is giving her full attention to the scientist yammering on. And on. And on. But as Zarlene continues to talk and talk, Zipline's attention begins to waver. Not the scientist's fault, Zipline just has a short attention span. Zipline is starting to investigate something on her claws when oise going into her speach grabs her attention. The cheetah has to hide a snicker behind her muzzle. "Nice Blurr impersonation," She mutters to herself, grinning fangily. Oh wait, the scientist is actually bringing out something interesting. Zipline fooorward on the edge of her crate to get a better look at the rifle. "I can dig it," She says, "My claws do something like that. So what're we looking for, something like that or something more awesome?" Poise exhales, her eyes closed for a moment. "Get it together, girl." She refocuses on the actual demonstration at hand, schematics she understood. Her previous worklife was optical design, so this isn't too far away from it. She wraps an arm about her waist so her other arm can prop up against it, her chin in her hand for a bit as she tries to figure out the process. Everything was so blasted new and difficult now. Exciting yes, but so different... Aramasu Hikage looks at the rifle schematics and puts his hands up making a square to focus on the weapon and ponders how it would be possible to make it smaller...maybe retractable or something that could be easily integrated into his power armor without sacrificing movement or speed... Talia McKinley shoots a look in the direction of the other EDCers. "Now don't y'all start thinkin' this means we can go chasin' Cons on our own." She picks the rifle up from the console and rests it against her shoulder. "But having this beaut handy has saved me in more than one tight pinch." She smirks a bit when she notices Zipline and gives a lazy wave with her other hand to the cheetah-bot. Figures she'd show up at something about guns. "Not just technology, but tactics. We have the dedication and ingenuity to protect our world, while the Autobots have the experience with our common enemy. If we're going to continue to fight this war together, we need to be operating on the same information base." Zarlene taps a few controls to put the console on standby, then leans forward slightly on it. "Which is why we are here." she turns her attention to the other part of the room. "Autobots, you're the ones we're fighting at the sides of. What are we doing right, or wrong? What is it we can do to help you in your own needs for the conflict?" James Bailey makes his way into the facility, taking up a place where he can see with all the big robots around, but is also off to the side, spectating. Aramasu Hikage smirks when Talia mentions not to take on Decepticons by ourselves and keeps a lid on his encounter with Razorclaw and a Sweep in the Bayou yesterday...He is curious to hear the Autobot's input on the whole thing. He could always use a fresh perspective. Springer stays near Sky Lynx as he listens.. and doing his best not to look completely lost as he tries to keep track of things. Hound is here, too, marveling at the human ingenuity he's seeing. He stands at attention, looking at the room and the people in it, a small, good-natured smile on his face. It's just so FASCINATING how the humans do so much with such limited resources! Velum nods along as Zarlene explains. "I'd suggest Nebulan tech as well, but that's not as easy to access these days. Even moreso without Arcana around to explain." She shrugs, but pauses and looks away to something offscreen. "I'm in the middle of a meeting, can it wait? ...Hn, fine, the turkey option then. But no more interruptions, please." Finally she turns back after apparently getting bugged for a meal. Zipline grins fangily down at Talia, and returns the wave by waving one of her forepaws enthusiastically. It makes her perch wobble a little precariously, so she stops that pretty quickly, and holds perfectly still until the entire stack of crates stops shaking. "Um..." Zipline stares at Zarlene blankly. "Huh. Good question." She shrugs slightly, "I've mostly just worked with Talia and Poise, and they were pretty awesome to fight with. Though I guess one thing'd be cool is to get in some training sessions with you humans. Working with you is different than with other autobots." A few of the stuffed shirts start with the standard questions in regards to Dr. Renardson, "Why just corrupt them when we should focus on a permanent solution?" "Why have we given up on cybercidic weaponry?" "Why are we letting Cybertronians get involved with classified weaponry that may be used..." That zealous major is escorted out, assuredly, which leaves Poise there in line next. "Uh hi." She meekly waves her hand, as people turn to look at her. "Cadet Poise here...ahh.." She actually shrugs, keeping the positioning as she shifts from foot to foot, a timid gesture, "Are there plans to create a vehicle based weapon of this design, or is it unfeasible..." She gestures again, looking up at the display for a moment, "I mean, due to the incongruous focusing array, it seems rather difficult to align proper channels on a larger scale...Uhmthankyou!" With that, she hurriedly walks away from the mic as if nobody can see her now. Shiftlock decides to speak up. "What are you doing period?" the fembot asks. "What methods do you consider acceptable? What do you consider unacceptable? What tactics and weapons are you currently employing, and what have you had success with? What have you had failure with?" "If we're going to find out where we're going, we need to know where we have been, and what transport is getting us there, so to speak." Springer ponders something for a moment then sighs as he sends a reply to a communiction, "Sorry I am needed." With that he waves and heads out. Hound glances over as Shiftlock asks some questions, and they are good ones. He looks back to Talia, awaiting her answer. For now he doesn't have any questions of his own, but they may come. At least no questions *relevent* to this situation- if he was just hanging around with a human he'd have a TON of questions..... James Bailey speaks up from the side. "Limiting casualties is always the most important. Collateral damage should be minimzed - it's unavoidable sometimes in combat, but we shouldn't enter a situation planning for it." He pans his gaze across some of the Autobots present. "Not too much different than you Autobots." He thinks some more and then adds, "We have some additional concerns about the environment, flammable surroundings, personal property of citizens..." "That -is- a good suggestion. That shall certainly be passed on to our training organizers." Zarlene scribbles down that and a few other notes as the conversations go on around her, making thoughtful noises. At least until the higher brass speaking up jerks her attention back up. And a bit of a sigh, clearly those were annoying questions she was expecting. "Because, as you all well know, producing a weapon capable of doing mortal damage to a Decepticon is still beyond the size capacity of personal weaponry due to energy and weight constraints. But being able to cripple one, as the Corporal has pointed out, has been effective at times when one has been forced from their combat craft, or in a situation where a vehicle is not an option." A pause as she nudges her small reading glasses back up. "With the death of Cross the cybercidic project has been heavily classified and removed from safe field usage until several difficulties with the technology can be worked out. The previous design was only functional with the Sophia class tank it was constructed upon." Fortunately that third guy is lead/dragged out before he causes a public relations incident. Sigh. Some people just can't get over the past when they should be looking to the future. At Poise's question Talia lowers the rifle from her shoulder and turns it partway over. "I reckon you could affix a hardpoint mounting bracket to it on the bottom. Would have to be towards the back to not interfer with the magnetic conductors ... maybe get a bit more oomph outta it if ya could wire it up to the vehicle's power supply." Zarlene lets out a soft sight as she turns her attention away from the officers and back to the Autobots. "It is somewhat sad that humanity has dedicated so much of its own history to developement of the means of inflicting harm on others. But as I am certain you all know too well for yourselves, the protection of what you believe in and whom you care for often requires it." ... Thank you Bailey for coming to the rescue with an answer about actual tactics! Cursing internally Punch stands as quietly as he can and moves towards the exit. Of all the times he's needed elsewhere! "I do apologise. Something has unavoidably came up. I have to go. Again, my most sincere apologies." With that he leaves causing no further disturbance in proceedings. Poise meeps again, upon noting that Colonel Bailey was here. Well, that was certainly unexpected. She just made a fool of herself to high command. The cadet finds herself a shadow to slink into. Aramasu Hikage currently keeps quiet about all the capabilities of his armor...and listens with alot of interest while pondering different application of his own weaponry to others. Finally he speaks up to awnser Shiftlock. "Allright Autoboto-san, if we want to talk about what works so far. Jetfire and I worked on a very interesting yet simple melee weapon. A sword of very durable alloy which is powered by a small recharcheable unit tied into a kinetic dynamo. The sword's motions recherche the battery and the energy field activates for only fraction of seconds when there is contact." Hound listens to James Bailey speak, and says, "I agree. What kind of precautions do you take to prevent unneccessary environmental and property damage? Do you have any early warning systems for regular citizens, or shelters they can get to in case of a large scale attack?" Talia's last comment gets a nod from the Jeep. "Exactly. Many of us have no love for war, but take up arms because we need to protect those who can't defend themselves." James Bailey hesitates breifly before nodding in agreement. "As for shelters...not really. The planet's too large, the population's too spread out...I don't see how anyone could build enough to make them available to everyone. And there's not much we can build that could ward off a determined Decepticon attack..." "Sooo... Just out of curiosity," Zipline muses, lifting a claw up to her chin, "How breakable are humans anyway?" She pauses, as if realizing how incriminating that question might be. "Just so I know. So I don't accidentally break one of you, 'cause I'm still new to this whole thing." "Well, I was actually asking more about grand strategy and applied military and non-military tactics. I can't make any suggestions without knowing more about what it is you're all trying to accomplish here on Earth -- it's Earth, right?" Shiftlock rests the huge stylus against the equally huge datapad in her hands. "See, I haven't actually been an Autobot all that long, maybe a few Terran years, so I'm not as familiar with what's been happening on this world, when our conflict came here, and what it did. I was a resistance fighter against Decepticons when they conquered my home. I'd love to learn anything you have to share with me, but my experience is going to be limited to urban warfare, insurgency and counter-insurgency, bodyguarding, smuggling, working with limited resources and minimizing casualties. I've done it on city scale, but not planetary... the two can't be THAT different." She taps her chin, thinking over what's been said. "If Earth can't bunker its population and the Decepticon forces are going to get past ground defenses... why not build a barrier in space? You've got a lot of satellites and other debris around your planet, I saw it coming in. Why not set up an active defense grid? Could we build something like that?" Shift asides to Zipline, "They go squish, like, really easy. So be VERY careful." The Autobots and actual field troops are a lot more interesting to talk to than the stuffy officers and Zarlene is quite glad they are here, gracing Hound's questions about saftey with a small smile. "Rest assured this is not the days you may be familiar with when the Decepticons could just storm into a populance center and raise cane. We are striving to improve what holes in readiness previous events have made clear. Major urban centers have shelters left from our own previous wars... but Decepticons don't always attack such places. Civilians -know- they should not 'rubberneck' as we call it and clear the vicinity, though." "Usually the best is to clear any civilians from an area so they don't get in the middle of the fighting. You know as well as we do the Decepticons aren't going to be wary of them, and there is less restraint on -our- tactics if we don't have bystanders present." Zarlene pauses to make a few more notes of her. Snorts slightly at Zipline's question. "There is a reason we have to use vehicle and exo-frames to fight." "Not that some idjits don't anyways," Talia mutters under her breath, along with some rather choice words we won't produce out loud about dumb news reporters and other media jerks. "Y'mind if I take over for a moment, Doc?" Talia doesn't really wait for an answer before sitting on one of the consoles and reaching for the terminal. She taps a few commands in, and the holo-display lights up with images of her own vehicle from several angles. "A'right y'all, I know most of ya here have seen me an' the Firehawk in a brawl, so I won't bore the gatherin' with nitty gritty details on what she can do." She leans on the side of the terminal. ".. But to be honest, the VTOL model is old -- it was designed before the option for exo-suits got it mothballed. This one was taken out of storage specifically for me when the push for more military vehicles was made. She gets the job done... but we need to bring her to the modern age." Hound nods to James Bailey. "True." He scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Do you have any holographic capabiltiies? I've used holograms... even chased off Galvatron himself once with a fake Omega Supreme. Sometimes I wonder if there's a way you humans could use holograms for your benefit, as well. It would have to be a last-ditch emergency resort only... since even the Decepticons don't fall for that trick more than once... at least not in a row..... Usually. But it can confuse them long enough to give you an advantage." Hound then nods to Zarlene. "That's good to hear, at least. Are there any ways we could help evacuate or protect escaping civilians more effeciently? You've asked what we need- please feel free to let us know how we can help you, too." Aramasu Hikage nods at Hound "Some tech but space and power can be an issue. I thought about puttingan holo-projector back into my armor but I went with the cloaking device instead." "We do have what we call 'optical camoflague'," Zarlene replies to Hound, "But as stated, power and appropriate coverage to be effective are issues that make it limited in actual application." "Right, super fragile, handle with care, 'don't-you-dare-drop-this-Zipline' breakable," The little cheetah scout says, nodding at Shiftlock and Zarlene, "I thought you made those things just 'cause you guys were small like me." Zipline leans over farther on her perch when the next holo-display of the Firehawk is brought up. She flicks her tail from side to side, now much more interested. "It's already pretty fast. Needs bigger guns," She says, nodding in a sage-like manner, "Or missile pods. Basically more things that make things explode." Does she have a one track mind or what? Hound nods to Aramasu, "Those are certainly helpful as well." Then he listens to Zarlene and replies, "I see. Yes, I wouldn't expect them to be able to cover a lareg area. But sometime even having one large hologram- or several small ones near each other can be convincing... depending on what you want the Cons to believe." Poise muses after a moment, "I think the protecting of Nebulan and Human lives is more important, if anything we should probably focus on forcefields to aid the civilians." "Do you have a plan of planetary evacuation and relocation?" Shiftlock asks. Some of the unnamed officers may be giving Zipline odd looks, but Talia just laughs a bit. "Missiles -are- a consideration. Though they need somethin' more than just bigger booms, the autocannon already does that. Has better penetration than a missile, too. Burn from the inside out." She lifts a hand to adjust her hat as she leans on the console. "What 'bout coverage, though? Air support is a big thin' when most of yer allies are ground bound. Would bein' able to keep more than one target pinned back be of use? She's got multiple guns, but they all work on their own right now." Despite her previous casual mood Zarlene narrows her eyes at Shiftlock. As likely do a lot of the other personel. "Abandoning Earth to the Decepticons as a whole is not an acceptable option..... not to mention our planet's populance is considerably larger than Cybertron's. A masse exodus would simply be impossible and a logistical nightmare." Shiftlock ignores the looks. "So what you're telling me is that you're not going to explore the option of your species survival. I know it's not pleasant to think about, and yes, you may not be able to take all of your population if something catastrophic happens. I'm talking beyond Decepticons as well, because sometimes bad things happen and we may not be able to save you. We may not even be able to get there in time to help." "You have allies in the galaxy beyond us, and there are worlds you could settle that would be able to support yourselves. But it seems suicidal to me not to have a fallback point for your species. I think the earth phrase is "putting all your eggs in one basket"." Poise chirps, "Not to mention how many would be lost in the process, the Decepticons wouldn't give you a peaceful exodus!" Poise returns to the back of the crowd, her social courage having petered out finally. She stands guard as people of her rank are prone to do, ever watchful for the Cassettecons! This explaination actually brings up some thoughtful murmurs amongst the EDC side of the gathering. Sounds like Shiftlock might have a point in some of that. "Humanity -has- sadly limited its exoplanetary explorations over other necessities of protecting ourselves...," Zarlene muses, the glaring look gone. "Prehaps some food for thought after all..." Zipline leans back again, making her precarious perch shift backwards into a more stable position again. "So you're thinking like a bit aerial shotgun? Ugh, no, that'd suck. I mean, what if you missed? You'd have a stupid amount of reloading time and you'd just suck up energy." She might be little, but she knows weapons. She lifts up a paw and taps a claw against her chin. "I guess you could just put a pivot on a gun, but what's the fun of that?" She's outright ignoring the political-sounding conversation at the moment. Shift adds gently, "There were thousands of Crystal Sentinels before the Decepticons cracked down on us. We refused to leave the city even when we could. Now I'm one of two still alive. Make your plans now while you have the time, because during crisis you won't be ready." Hound frowns a little as Shitflock speaks, though it's not because he's in disagreement. She has a point. And good for her, she even knows some Earth sayings- after all! But he frowns at the thought of Earth being destroyed. It's aone of his greatest fears... to see the Decepticons do to this planet what they did to Cybertron. "She's right. None of us want this beautiful planet of yours destroyed, *believe me*... but you do need backup plans to at least keep your species alive, no matter what. Our explorers and scientists could assist you in locating suitable planets- just in case." Primus forbid that should ever be required..... Talia McKinley puts a hand to her chin thoughtfully, and reachs over with the other one to 'touch' the holo-display and rotate it to the side a bit. "Y'all have a point, Spots. The current loading system -is- a bit on the slow side, 'specially with the machine guns individually aimed instead of synced." Then she taps at what would be the nosecone, where the main gun is mounted under. "Autocannon is gonna need a cool-down point no matter what to prevent warpin' from heat and friction, but if a quicker loading system allowed it to get off more rounds per minute first...." Zarlene scribbles several more notes of her own. Gives a glance in the direction were the higher officials are now murmuring amongst themselves rather intently. "Decisions on such a matter are well above my level... but this may be worth lighting fires under a few asses to get it looked into." "The faster the better, that's what I always say," Zipline nods sagely at Talia. "Think of how fast the ammo'd fly if you didn't HAVE to reload." "I'm glad I could help in some way. I just want to protect others," Shiftlock smiles. She takes out her datapad, and makes a ton more notes now -- and cues up a download of a ridiculous amount of Terran books, on everything from philosophy to religion to classic literature to 'The Story Of How You Were Born'. Hound looks over at Shiftlock. "Hey, if you have an interest in human literature, I've got some books you might enjoy..." He notes the "How you were Born" title and glances away suddenly, as if a little embarrassed for some reason. Not because he has a similar book or anything, no.... of course not. Then he steps back, content to listen to the others continue to speak. "Hey Doc, you using this?" Not that Talia waits for a reply before grabbing one of the digital tablets and making a few more notes of her own. " 'Preciate it, Zipline. It'll depend on what the engineers that design this stuff can act'ally do, but it's a start." Pause. Then a chuckle. "This makes things more efficient, then maybe I can think 'bout those missiles."